Automatic phonograph



G. DELCHEF AUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPH Filed March 13, 1940 March 9, 1943.

- long silence between the Patented Mar. 9, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE 2,313,193 AUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPH Georges Delchef, Brussels,

Alien Property Application March 13, 1940, serial No.

In Belgium March 23, 1939 -1 Claim.

My present invention relates to an apparatus for changing automaticallyphonograph records orother sound reproducing means.

The main object of the invention is to allow the user to introduce, ifhe so desires, a relatively audition of two successive records.

Another object is to make it possible to efiect the automatic change ofrecords by simple means and to secure a good preservation of saidrecords.

With those objects in view, my invention consists in thespecialarrangements and combinations of parts as hereinafter fully describedand pointed out in the appended claims.

On the annexed drawing: a Figure l is a plan view of one part of therecord changing device. Figure 2 is an elevation of said part.

Fig. 3 is a small scale diagrammatic elevation of the whole recordchanging assembly.

Belgium; vestedin the Custodian Fig. 4 is an elevational view of thetone arm on a reduced scale.

Figs. 5 and 6 are top plan views of the two spaced record supportingmembers, respectively, and

Fig. 7 is a full scale elevation partly in section, of the upper part ofthe of the centering spindle. I

As shown in the drawing, aplate I (Figure 3) supports a motor 2 theshaft of which is provided turntable spindle and with a-pinion 4 anddrives a wheel 5, for example I by means of a worm 6.

The turntable spindle 3 carries a centering spindle 1 projectingcoaxially upwardly from the turntable spindle 3 and having an upper anda lower portion, la and lb, of a diameter equal to that of the turntablespindle 3 and an intermediate portion lc of reduced diameter merginggradually into said-lower portion lb. The spindle 1 serves to center thestack of records to be supplied and to guide each record as it dropsupon the turntable (not shown) of the phonograph. A stationary shaft 8carried by plate I. is provided with a supporting segment 9 for therecords P to be played.

Wheel 5 can rotate freely upon a shaft I0 upon the segment i I equal tothe thickness of a record,

said blade i3 being adapted to separate for audition the lowermostrecord from the stack of shaft 49 and carries a pin 'fur her carries arod 54.

records. An inclined plate 12 leads down from the blade l3 to thesegment ll.

A gear box 14 secured to plate I contains: (1) shaft l0 upon which issecured a toothed wheel l5; (2) ashaft l6 carrying a wheel H, and (3) ashaft I8 sliding in the direction shown by arrow F and having secured toit a. plate I9.

Wheel 5 is carried by a bushing 20 (Fig. l) resting on plate l4. Wheel 5has rigidly secured thereto a'ratchet wheel 2! and a pin 22. Wheel I5carries a'pawl 23 pivoting in 24 on said wheel and being provided with aspring 25 which urges the pawl 23 into engagement with the ratchet wheel2!.

With the cooperation of parts 5-2|23l5, motor 2 can thus drive shaft l0bearing the phonograph record supporting and selecting device.

Besides wheel I! meshingwith wheel l5, shaft l6 carries a cam 26 whichis adapted to operate a lever 21 pivoting in 28. Shaft l6 carriesfurther another cam 29 which causes shaft l8 to slide as shown byarrowF. Above mentioned plate I 9 carries a lever 30 pivoting at 3| andprovided with a spring 32. It carries also a pawl 33 pivoting at 34 andprovided with a spring 35. A lever 33 pivoting'at 3'! and provided'witha. retracting spring 38 is adapted to'change the position of a pawl 39pivoting in #33 between abutments 4| and 42 and provided with a spring43. Said pawl 39 comprises a rod 34, which when abutting pawl 23 causesthe disengagement of the latter from the teeth 2!.

The device comprises furthermore a toothed wheel 45 rotating about shaft46 and carrying a pin 47 and a toothed wheel 50. A pawl 5| rocking abouta shaft 52 and provided with a spring 53 Th position-of said pawl 5|depends uponthe position-given to a cam 55 secured upon a shaft 53provided with a controlling knob 51 operated manually. Similarly to red44, rod. 53 isadapted to disengage theclutch system 4-2l-23I5.

The working of the device isas follows:

The supply of records is placed on the supports H and 9 and is centeredby the upper portion la of the spindle 1. A record is placed on thetumtable of the phonograph (not shown).

Motor 2 is started and drives wheel 5, the pin 22 of which drives wheel45; the latter in turn, by means of its pin 47 drives wheel 48 carryingpin 53. V a

Pawl 23 being unclutched from the teeth 2| 48 which rotates about.

under the action of rod 44, shaft 10 is not driven by wheel 5.

At the end of the audition of a record, the pin 6| with which rod 60 ofthe phonograph arm is provided acts upon lever 36 as shown by arrow F1and produces its rocking. This causes pawl 39 to rock (as shown by arrowF2) and moves rod 44 away from pawl 23 which under the action of spring25 engages the teeth 2| of wheel 5. Said pawl 23 is consequentlyconnected to wheel 5 so as to drive shaft ID to which it is secured.

Consequently, shaft l starts. rotating with wheel 5. Wheel I driveswheel ll. Lifting cam 29 rotates with shaft l6 and lifts sliding shaftl8 which bears plate l9. Plate I!) by acting upon rod 60 of thephonograph arm lifts the latter from the turntable. Cam 26 pushes soonthereafter upon lever 21 which latter by acting laterally upon rod 60causes the arm to move to the outside of the turntable. By this lateralmovement, rod 60, which moves along line S, pushes away pawl 33 andswings lever 30 compressing thereby spring 32.

Concurrently, resilient blade I3 separates from the stack the lowermostrecord plate. The cut out segment ll advances from underneath saidrecord and releases it. Owing to the fact that the released record isdisposed on the intermediate thin portion lc of spindle 1, it can assumea slightly inclined position and slide of! the edge of the stationarysupport 9, but when it reaches the lower portion lb of the centeringspindle 1, it is recentered and returned to horizontal position.

As cam 26 ceases operating lever 21, retracting spring 32 is allowed totake the phonograph arm back against pawl 33, while plate l9 sinks underthe control of lifting cam 29. The phonograph arm is thus brought in theproper position to start the record to be played.

This series of operations takes a little less than one revolution ofwheels 15-". At the end of the revolution, pawl 23 engages rod 44; theirengagement causes the clutching out and shaft I8 is no longer driven bywheel 5.

If rod 54 of pawl 5| has previously been brought in the trajectory ofpawl 23 on account of a change of position of cam 55 operated manually,the above mentioned operations will be suspended. This interruptionshould preferably take place after the record to be played has sunk downonto the truntable. As wheel 5 carrying pin 22 continues rotating, theoperations of record changing will be resumed automatically when the pin50 rocks pawl 5|. Rod 54 will thus be pushed away and allow pawl 23 tobe again driven by wheel 5 until completion of one revolution of wheeli5.

The duration of the suspension of the record changing mechanism willthus be a function of the speed reduction between wheels 4, 45 and 48.

This device enables the user to provide at his convenience a silence ofthe proper length between each audition of records.

What I claim is:

In a driving arrangement for a record changing device having a shaft tobe rotated through a predetermined angle for each record changingoperation, the combination of a continuously rotated element, a firstcoupling member forming part of said element, a second coupling membersecured to said shaft, a spring urging said second coupling member intoengagement with said first coupling member, means to disengage saidsecond coupling member from said first coupling member when said shaftis in a first predetermined angular position, means. to render saiddisengaging means inoperative at the end of each rendition of a record,a member adjustable to an operative position and to an inoperativeposition for disengaging said second coupling member from said firstcoupling member in an angular position of said shaft other than saidfirst angular position, manual control means for said disengagingmember, means to render said member, after its adjustment to operativeposition, temporarily inoperative, and a speed reducing gear betweensaid element and said last mentioned means for rendering said memberinoperative.

GEORGES DELCHEF.

